For the purpose of reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions in vehicles incorporating an internal combustion engine or the like as the engine, some vehicles are mounted with the so-called idling stop or economic running function directed to automatically stopping the engine when the vehicle has stopped and the brake pedal is manipulated by the driver, and automatically starting the engine again in response to a restarting operation made by the driver such as reducing the operated amount of the brake level to zero.
Furthermore, some starters for starting the engine can drive individually the engagement mechanism for engaging the pinion gear of the starter with the ring gear of the engine and a motor for rotating the pinion gear. Also, at the startup of the engine, the engine may be cranked up by the motor after engaging the pinion gear and the ring gear with each other.
Furthermore, some starters for starting the engine can drive individually the engagement mechanism for engaging the pinion gear of the starter with the ring gear of the engine and a motor for rotating the pinion gear.
EP 2159410A (PTL 1) discloses a configuration of controlling the starter of an engine that can control individually a pinion gear and a motor for rotating the pinion gear by switching, when the engine is to be restarted after the engine has been stopped, between a mode in which the pinion gear is driven before the motor and a mode in which, previous to the motor, the pinion gear is driven, in accordance with the engine rotational speed.